The synopsis provided for this novel is precise, so I will only be reviewing my likes and dislikes.
There was a fair amount of historical context incorporated through the eyes of a 12-year old living in 1932 Minnesota as a runaway orphan. The characters that he and the other three orphans meet along their voyage are layered with the voice of those who lived during that time. The atmosphere of The Great Depression not only interrupted the innocence of many children, as we see in the runaways in this story, but also isolated the essence of faith and trust in a wide populace.
“…if you have family, you can lose everything and still count yourself a rich man.”
Saturated in descriptive imagery, the words and phrases painted are to be savored. So, it is not a book that you can read quickly because it is designed to ignite nostalgia, meaning, and sentiment. The descriptions are marinated in an assortment of flavors that sometimes cause it to be longer than most novels. Full of literary gold, this would be a treasure chest of excerpts for English teachers.
In saying that, it was sometimes slow moving for me. The ending was fast paced, as with most stories, but the first half was comparable to a roller coaster: moving up with action and adventure yet sometimes tediously moving at a horizontal shuffle for a few pages with so many descriptions until the next climactic event. At different moments it took me longer to get through the first half because of these dips. Nevertheless, still a poignant piece of literature.
I recommend this novel for lovers of Huckleberry Finn and other stories of adventure and odyssey.
Many thanks to Atria Books, William Kent Krueger, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.